Learning as I go…

A Little Help From My Friends

After working on this project over the last month as a lone DIY’er, last week I became a DIO’er (Do It Ourselves’er). That’s right, I opened up the In Law unit to my contractor’s team! This was a very exciting step for me. While I want to be able to utilize my skills to do this entire project, the reality is that there are certain things that I need help with. Such as, lifting a few-hundred pound support beam into place without snapping myself in half, or repairing a ceiling that is being held up by magic when I can’t even corral animals to do my bidding. For these little jobs I like to call in reinforcements!

With that said, this is “My First Renovation” and I didn’t want to simply hand over the keys and lay in the hammock all afternoon (although that does sound lovely). No! I needed to be in the mix! Hand me that nail gun and I’ll shoot far too many nails into that piece of wood (on purpose of course!).

Throw me that circular saw and I’ll cut through that plank at least a two or three times before realizing you wanted that other plank cut! I’m ready!

What I’m trying to say is that I decided to stick around and help the guys while learning a few things in the process. The whole experience was really satisfying! Not only did I learn a ton (like, did you know that you can use the sawzall to saw through nails? If only I knew that during demolition), but I also got to see exactly what was happening with the In Law unit. I know the quality of work that was completed and I can tell you exactly what changes were made. This is very nurturing of my OCD (Obsessive Compulsive) side.

One of the things I love about some blogs are Before & After pictures. Here are a few for you to enjoy!